Charles Phillips (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Charles Phillips was a member of the Church Mission Society
(CMS) based in the Lagos Colony
who became Bishop of Ondo
.
to work as a catechist at Ijaye.
Phillips gained his secondary education at the CMS Training Institution at Abeokuta
. He was taught by G.F. Buhler, who served from 1857 to 1864.
For twelve years Phillips was catechist at Breadfruit Church in Lagos.
Phillips was ordained as a Native deacon on 5 March 1876, with Daniel Coker and Nathaniel Johnson.
In 1873 Captain Glover
, the Governor of Lagos colony, helped to restore the deposed king of Ondo to his throne. In gratitude, the king invited the CMS to establish a mission in his city. The mission was opened two years later.
In January 1877 Phillips took charge as pastor at Ondo
.
and the traditional Yoruba religion. In 1878 Phillips wrote of an old woman who became convinced that "prayer is more efficacious than sacrifice" after her husband and her brother recovered from illness.
On the other hand, Phillips reported that "the generality of our Lagos young men begin to think that polygamy is not opposed to the principles of Christianity".
In the 1870s there were several outbreaks of smallpox
. In July 1879, a Sango priest from out of town called on Phillips, and cynically described how he had accepted gifts to suppress the disease, which would not in fact happen until it had run its course and destroyed all the witches and charm-makers in the country.
Later Phillips lost three of his four children to smallpox. He noted that some of the believers of the traditional religion attributed the disease to tolerance of Christianity by the Yorubas.
In 1885 a visiting mission reported that the Rev. Phillips at times served as an interpreter for CMS preachers at Yoruba services in Lagos.
Towards the end of the Yoruba
Wars, the Lagos administration, acting through Samuel Johnson and Charles Phillips, arranged a ceasefire in 1886 and then a treaty that guaranteed the independence of the Ekiti towns.
The British House of Commons recorded its appreciation of the work that the two Yorubas had done for their country.
Ilorin
refused to cease fighting however, and the war dragged on for several more years.
replaced Hill in 1894. The CMS decided to create two assistant bishops to help with the workload of the large diocese and to assuage African opinion. James Johnson
, although the most prominent clergyman in the colony, was considered unsafe. Instead the more conservative Charles Phillips was appointed, along with Isaac Oluwole
, a former principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos
.
Phillips has left a record of the embarrassment he felt when approached by J.S. Hill on 2 November 1892 about the position of assistant bishop. He felt that he did not have sufficient experience, that he was poorly educated and that "there are eligible seniors whose presence makes my selection very inviduous and uncomfortable".
Joseph Sidney Hill, Isaac Oluwole and Charles Phillips were consecrated as bishop and assistant bishops on 29 June 1893.
Operating in the eastern part of Yorubaland
at some distance from Lagos, Phillips had a degree of independence but still had to report to the European-controlled Executive Council in Lagos.
Although he visited the missionaries in his territory annually and had some control over them, they refused to have an African as their ecclesiastical master.
By 1899, Phillips had a community of 158 converts at Ondo.
Phillips attempted to organize a church at Ile-Ife, but met resistance from the Ooni Olubuse of Ife who did not want to upset the priests of the traditional religion. With difficulty, land was acquired at Iyekere and a small church and school were built in 1899. The Ooni remained hostile however, causing difficulties until Charles Phillips died in 1919.
Church Mission Society
The Church Mission Society, also known as the Church Missionary Society, is a group of evangelistic societies working with the Anglican Communion and Protestant Christians around the world...
(CMS) based in the Lagos Colony
Lagos Colony
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centered on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 and declared a colony on 5 March 1862....
who became Bishop of Ondo
Ondo State
Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
.
Early career
Charles Phillips was the son of a former Egba slave also called Charles Phillips who returned from Sierra LeoneSierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
to work as a catechist at Ijaye.
Phillips gained his secondary education at the CMS Training Institution at Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
. He was taught by G.F. Buhler, who served from 1857 to 1864.
For twelve years Phillips was catechist at Breadfruit Church in Lagos.
Phillips was ordained as a Native deacon on 5 March 1876, with Daniel Coker and Nathaniel Johnson.
In 1873 Captain Glover
John Hawley Glover
Sir John Hawley Glover , captain in the British Royal Navy, entered the service in 1841 and passed his examination as lieutenant in 1849, but did not receive a commission till May 1851....
, the Governor of Lagos colony, helped to restore the deposed king of Ondo to his throne. In gratitude, the king invited the CMS to establish a mission in his city. The mission was opened two years later.
In January 1877 Phillips took charge as pastor at Ondo
Ondo City
Ondo City is the largest city in Ondo State, Nigeria. It has a population of 275,917.Local industries include food processing and cocoa manufacture....
.
Pastor
Conversion of the "heathen" Yoruba was helped by similarities or analogies between ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and the traditional Yoruba religion. In 1878 Phillips wrote of an old woman who became convinced that "prayer is more efficacious than sacrifice" after her husband and her brother recovered from illness.
On the other hand, Phillips reported that "the generality of our Lagos young men begin to think that polygamy is not opposed to the principles of Christianity".
In the 1870s there were several outbreaks of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. In July 1879, a Sango priest from out of town called on Phillips, and cynically described how he had accepted gifts to suppress the disease, which would not in fact happen until it had run its course and destroyed all the witches and charm-makers in the country.
Later Phillips lost three of his four children to smallpox. He noted that some of the believers of the traditional religion attributed the disease to tolerance of Christianity by the Yorubas.
In 1885 a visiting mission reported that the Rev. Phillips at times served as an interpreter for CMS preachers at Yoruba services in Lagos.
Towards the end of the Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
Wars, the Lagos administration, acting through Samuel Johnson and Charles Phillips, arranged a ceasefire in 1886 and then a treaty that guaranteed the independence of the Ekiti towns.
The British House of Commons recorded its appreciation of the work that the two Yorubas had done for their country.
Ilorin
Ilorin
Ilorin is one of the largest cities in Nigeria and is the capital of Kwara State. As of 2007 it had a population of 847,582.-History:Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in 1450...
refused to cease fighting however, and the war dragged on for several more years.
Bishop of Ondo
In 1891 the Anglican church created the diocese of Western Equatorial Africa, based in Lagos and headed by Bishop Hill, who died of fever almost as soon as he arrived from England. Herbert TugwellHerbert Tugwell
The Rt Rev Herbert Tugwell, DD was a Colonial Anglican Bishop in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Tugwell was born in Salisbury, educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and ordained in 1881....
replaced Hill in 1894. The CMS decided to create two assistant bishops to help with the workload of the large diocese and to assuage African opinion. James Johnson
James Johnson (Reverend)
James 'Holy' Johnson was a prominent clergyman and one of the first African members of Nigeria's Legislative Council.-Early Life:James Johnson was born in Sierra Leone in 1836 to liberated African parents of Yoruba origin....
, although the most prominent clergyman in the colony, was considered unsafe. Instead the more conservative Charles Phillips was appointed, along with Isaac Oluwole
Isaac Oluwole
Isaac Oluwole was a Nigerian bishop of Sierra Leonean and Egba heritage. He was one of the most prominent emigrants from Sierra Leone resident in Lagos during the second half of the nineteenth century. From 1879-1893, he was the principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos and was later ordained a...
, a former principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos
CMS Grammar School, Lagos
The CMS Grammar School in the Bariga district of Lagos is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society...
.
Phillips has left a record of the embarrassment he felt when approached by J.S. Hill on 2 November 1892 about the position of assistant bishop. He felt that he did not have sufficient experience, that he was poorly educated and that "there are eligible seniors whose presence makes my selection very inviduous and uncomfortable".
Joseph Sidney Hill, Isaac Oluwole and Charles Phillips were consecrated as bishop and assistant bishops on 29 June 1893.
Operating in the eastern part of Yorubaland
Yorùbáland
Yorubaland, or Yorùbáland , is a cultural region in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo that includes the indigenous territory and cultural reach of the Yoruba people.- History :-Settlement:Oduduwa is regarded as the legendary progenitor of the Yoruba...
at some distance from Lagos, Phillips had a degree of independence but still had to report to the European-controlled Executive Council in Lagos.
Although he visited the missionaries in his territory annually and had some control over them, they refused to have an African as their ecclesiastical master.
By 1899, Phillips had a community of 158 converts at Ondo.
Phillips attempted to organize a church at Ile-Ife, but met resistance from the Ooni Olubuse of Ife who did not want to upset the priests of the traditional religion. With difficulty, land was acquired at Iyekere and a small church and school were built in 1899. The Ooni remained hostile however, causing difficulties until Charles Phillips died in 1919.